Epic Games

As far as "things I want Epic Games to release that aren't Unreal Tournament" go, it's pretty much just Fortnite at this point. The sandbox survival game "might be the best thing we've ever done," according to studio co-found...

Epic Games announced a new subscription model for Unreal Engine 4 this morning. Any user can gain full access to their tools and source code for only $19 a month and 5% revenue. Developers can deploy to PC, Mac, iOS, and Andr...

Mar 19 //
Dale NorthHere's a message to Sweeney himself:
[embed]272174:53046:0[/embed]
Some notes from a Q&A session after the announcement:
Sweeney says that free-to-play games will not have to pay any royalties
While support platforms' source for past projects will be provided with the plan, console support and source will not be available.
For console access, Epic negotiates on a case-by-case basis
"We are not shipping an Unreal Tournament game" alongside this engine announcement

$19.99 a month, 5% of revenue, starts todayAnyone can gain access to Unreal Engine 4 now with a new subscription plan, priced at $19.99 a month. This was announced this morning in a GDC press conference by Epic co-founder Tim Sweeney.
With this new plan, users c...

Browser based gaming just took a giant leap forward with this demonstration of the Unreal Engine 4 running in Firefox at near-native speeds. The demo you see shows Epic's Soul and Swing Ninja, and this is the first glimpse o...

Epic Games hasn't been talking much about Fortnight and now it's sold the Gears of War rights to Microsoft. What's going on over there? Unreal Engine 4 work and lots of it, from the sound of things. Speaking to Edge, EU terri...

If you haven't been following the Silicon Knights vs. Epic Games Saga, it hasn't been pretty. A North Carolina court ordered Silicon Knights to pay Epic Games millions ($4.5m in damages, and $4.7 in court fees), after a faile...

Microsoft's "Games with Gold" initiative has been picking up steam lately, with two games being offered free of charge to Xbox Live Gold members every month since its inception. I usually don't get to benefit from it due to a...

Epic Games' sandbox survival title Fortnite was announced nearly two years ago. I've been anticipating it ever since, though I'd be lying if I said my interest hasn't waned. The company says it doesn't want to rush the game w...

Microsoft Game Studios VP Phil Spencer has once again spoken about his hopes for more Gears of War. Guesting on IGN's Podcast Unlocked, as transcribed by Game Revolution, he commented that after Judgment's sales and review sc...

It's crazy to see just how much work went into the Unreal Engine 4 Infiltrator demo that we saw at GDC earlier this year. Epic's new series of videos gives us a look under the hood of UE4, with this newest video focusing on ...

Former Gears of War producer Rod Fergusson left Irrational Games earlier this year after joining the team during the tail-end of development on BioShock Infinite. The fact that he moved on is no secret, but he has only today ...

Asked by Famitsu if the Gears of War franchise would continue on Xbox One, Microsoft Game Studios head Phil Spencer said that "You should ask Epic Games about what they want to do. We haven't announced anything yet about&nbs...

Earlier this year, former Epic Games president Mike Capps announced that he was no longer going to be affiliated with the company in an advisory role as originally expected. He's since ended up on Alan Wake and Max Payne crea...

I quite liked Infinity Blade, and that's coming as someone who infrequently plays iOS games. Granted, I completely missed out on the sequel, but the platform-appropriate controls and impressive visuals may pull me back in no...

Confession: I've been in love with the Oculus Rift for awhile now. I was won over from the moment John Carmack (now Oculus' CTO) helped me strap a prototype to my head. I've seen it a few times since then, too. Every time I find myself going even more crazy than before. And now that I've played around with a prototype for the Oculus Rift HD headset, I'm head over heels.

Apple celebrated its fifth birthday last week by giving away games and apps for free. One of those games was Infinity Blade 2, and All Things D is reporting that the Epic game saw 5.7 million new players in the past seven day...

iOS games aren't popular around these parts, I know, but I was personally quite looking forward to Infinity Blade Dungeons. I enjoy the mainstay games in the series, and the idea of a loot-nabbin' dungeon crawler in its unive...

Because of an intriguing job listing on its website, everyone knew that Epic Games had an unannounced project in the works. Thanks to the studio's co-founder Tim Sweeney, we now know that this title is a big-budget shooter.
S...

Epic games revealed that it is working on a "competitive online action game" via a job listing posted on its website. The studio is currently looking for a Senior Systems Designer to work on one of two projects; one is Fortni...

The Oculus Rift is the latest rage with all the cool tech kids these days, and the future looks bright for this virtual-reality headset. The Unreal Engine 4 will be able to take full advantage of the headset with support buil...

Remember that Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- trailer from a few days back? We have a few new details on the partnership between this studio and Epic Games.
Xrd uses Unreal Engine 3, kicking off a new chapter for the popula...

While it would have been nice for Gears of War: Judgment to come out of the gate with more content, the fact that some of the post-release DLC is free helps reduce the sting.
Following the Haven map and Execution mode, anothe...

At the Game Horizon conference, Epic Games VP Mark Rein warned of the looming free-to-play console storm, reports Joystiq. "The next-gen consoles are going to be fully embracing the free-to-play and these IAP-type business m...

May 07 //
Jason Cabral
Gears of War: Judgment Call to Arms DLC (Xbox 360) Developer: Epic Games, People Can Fly Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Released: April 30, 2013 MSRP: $12.50 ($20 VIP Pass for two packs)
Call to Arms adds three new maps to Judgment’s initial six, the new multiplayer mode Master at Arms, as well as a handful of new skins and achievements. Right off the bat, you do have some restrictions that come along with this content. First off, of the three new multiplayer maps, only two are available for any standard multiplayer type, while the last, Terminal, is reserved only for matches of OverRun and Survival.
Clearly the extra character and weapons skins do nothing to enhance the multiplayer experience, but they do add a touch of color to the drab COG uniforms. The new weapon skins Cascade and Chlorophyll are a nice touch, with Cascade’s retro streaming block animation and Chlorophyll’s strange iridescent green glow.
Added to the Gears wardrobe are the Locust, Crazy Doctor, Ice Burn, and Taxi skins. The time and detail put into some of these skins, especially the Locust and Ice Burn skins, is really something to enjoy. Personally though, I just wish they took that extra time to make more map or mode content for Judgment. Does anyone else miss Horde Mode?
[embed]253208:48550:0[/embed]
As a nice throwback to veteran Gears players, People Can Fly has brought Blood Drive to Judgment’s multiplayer. This unlucky Medical Facility, located in downtown Jacinto, has been used as a field of chaos for Locust and COG alike since Gears of War 2, but has returned in this installment with a few new side routes and the immensely useful ability to vault over nearly any cover.
Blood Drive inherits the central section of the map from its predecessors, but adds a fair bit of new tight corridors for those players who love to show off how shiny their Lancers and Shotguns are, up close and personal. Along with its many high-ground sections which are great for sniping, and the large and open middle ground area, Blood Drive is a great map that has something for every Gears player to enjoy.
Boneyard brings the decaying and haunting atmosphere of Gears of War 3's world to Judgment. The overall design of the map reminds me of the seating structure of any amphitheater, with the Mausoleum filling in for the stage. While not entirely far off, Boneyard likes to play more with the different levels of verticality to help keep the action moving along rather than funneling all of the chaos to the Mausoleum. The fallen grave markers and broken stonework provide excellent cover from the onslaught while giving you time to appreciate the irony of current situation.
While Boneyard does offer a welcome change of pace visually by injecting some warmer colors, I still thought that Boneyard was the weakest entry in Call to Arms. Where Blood Drive tries to offer a new take on a classic Gears map with many different approaches to take, Boneyard feels rather small and directionless in comparison to a map like Library.
I really enjoy the overall design and flow of Terminal. The middle of the battlefield features tons of cover strewn about that either side can utilize to cast down suppressing fire and turn the tide of battle. On another note, the smaller terraces offer non-Scout class COG the opportunity to get a better view of one side of the battle, along with easily and quickly transitioning from a long-range defender to a battlefield-level support.
The progression through this map feels very smooth. On OverRun/Survival, the transition between E-Hole Covers can make the level seem disjointed; like each section was designed by three competing people. Terminal's environment does a great job of invoking a sense of desperation and dread for the COG forces.
The meat of this DLC is the new gameplay mode, Master at Arms. Essentially, this mode is Judgment’s take on a Call of Duty: Black Ops’ multiplayer staple, Gun Game. Just like in the previously mentioned series, this new mode challenges players to rack up 20 kills by using some of the most iconic weapons in Gears' history; the first player to reach 20 wins the match. Each kill scored cycles your current weapon to the next predetermined weapon.
Simply put, the key to success in this mode is all reliant on your skills with the plethora of weapons throughout the Gears franchise. If you haven’t had a lot of practice with the Digger or the Torque Bow, than get ready to be taken to school in Master at Arms.
As most Gears players can attest, the unique weaponry found within the series can vary from solid and reliable to wildly inaccurate and frustrating. However, once you take some time to get accustomed to all of their quirks, you'll find yourself nailing heads hits with a Booshka just as easily as you would with a Longshot.
The one main issue that I have with this DLC is the fact that the only way to justify picking up this content is to purchase the VIP Pass for all of the current and upcoming content. This DLC alone is 1000 MS Points, which is a fair price for multiplayer content in the current console market. However, considering the lack of content offered and that Judgment's VIP Pass costs 1600 MS Points and nets you this DLC pack as well as the next content pack, the only option that makes sense is to go for the bundle.
Even with the VIP Pass, what you get is only total of six maps and two game modes, and the ability to play for double XP. For a game that is already light on multiplayer content, this really feels like a lazy, half-hearted effort to generate a quick buck from the fans of a dedicated franchise. While the Master at Arms game mode is fun and injects a certain level of enjoyable chaos to your standard free-for-all game type, and Blood Drive is a nice throwback to Gears of War 2, three maps and one new game type simply isn't enough for the price.
VIP Pass holders may get their money's worth in the long run, but if you're not looking to drop those 1600 MS Points right now, it's best to leave this call unanswered.

Let this call go to voicemailSince Gears of War 3, Epic Games has not been afraid to squeeze every last cent out of its customer base through premium maps and skins for characters and weapons. Don't get me wrong, I still consider the All Fronts DLC pack ...

Kendall Boyd, the global marketing lead at Epic Games, has accepted a position with Microsoft to head-up the marketing for the Halo brand. Boyd had been with Epic since 2010.
Boyd's departure has been affirmed by both Ep...

Speaking to Eurogamer, People Can Fly founder Adrian Chmielarz has expressed the Bulletstorm sequel that could have been, and why the studio moved on to Gears of War: Judgment instead of seeing the project through to com...

On Tuesday, owners of the VIP Season Pass for Gears of War: Judgment will get more mileage out of their purchase with the arrival of a second map pack named Call to Arms. Everyone else can get this multiplayer content on Apri...

Recently, the PS3 and Xbox 360 each saw prequels for their leading franchises -- God of War: Ascension and Gears of War: Judgment. According to analyst firm Cowen & Company, the two GOWs failed to impress at retail.
...

Epic Games' Mark Rein does not view the PlayStation 4 as a mere console, oh no. Echoing similar sentiments to Avalanche Studios, Rein believes the PS4 is a gaming PC with a memory advantage over less dedicated computers. In f...

Setting the record straight at the Game Developers Conference, Epic Games co-founder Mark Rein said in straightforward terms that, no, Unreal Engine 4 will not support Wii U. "I just laugh at the question...Unreal Engine 4, w...